This summer, I had the honour of being the specialist at a kids photography camp. The opportunity seemed to fall into my lap—a serendipitous moment when you feel like the universe has your back.

Lots has been going on with me this past year. For one, I retired from 18 years of running a home daycare. I took a leap of faith made Annie Bananie Photography my full-time income. As you can imagine, it’s been a fun and scary journey. I am enjoying the opporutinites that are coming my way. Like the phone call from Kay Kerman back in June asking if I would be the specialist for La Fab’s two week photography camp. I jumped at the chance! It was the perfect fit—combining my love for children and my love for photography.

I only had three weeks to get ready and I took my job seriously. I threw myself into lesson planning, which made me revisit the basics of photography. I reflected on my own photography journey and created ways to make photography fun and engaging for the kids. Curriculum planning is something I enjoy, so it was fun and easy. In the process, I discovered the world of pinhole photography. Compared to the digital world we live in today, pinhole photography feels like magic. I even dug out some of my old travel pictures and slides from my 1997 adventures and beyond.

During the camp, we explored exposure, lighting, forced perspective, and so much more. We made our own pinhole cameras, created portfolios, and celebrated our achievements with a party. the kids had fun and so did I. Their enthusiasm was contagious—it reignited my own passion for photography, inspiring me to take more photos just for fun, not just for work.

This experience has inspired me to launch a photography club this fall. The club will meet once a month at La Fab Sur Mill on the following dates:

September 22nd, October 20th,

November 17th,

and December 15th from 09:00-12:00.

It will be a safe space for kids aged 9-13 to express themselves, explore the world through a camera lens, and work together creatively. I have some exciting ideas lined up, and I’d love your help in spreading the word to families who might benefit from this opportunity.

Thanks to a generous donation, I even have a few DSLR cameras and lenses for the kids to use and grow their skills. Thank you for your continued support in helping me inspire the next generation of photographers!

The image gallery below are images taken from the young photographers at camp.